If you’ve been following my blog since the beginning, you’ve probably read my post about our breastfeeding journey. I’ll sum it up in one sentence for you. It started out rocky and ended the best way possible. That’s only because I was able to surround myself with resources that encouraged me to not give up without a fight. This week is world breastfeeding week and it is something I think is so important, because it gets the conversation started about one of the most natural, yet taboo, things we do as mothers.

I Get it Mama

Let me just say that I have gone through all different levels of my comfortability with breastfeeding. Sometimes it changed based on circumstances and sometimes it was because of the season of development Elouise was in. All in all, its not always easy, even when everything is going “smoothly”. I was able to produce enough milk, Elouise had a fine time latching after the first month, and I never struggled with mastitis or infection, but often times I couldn’t wait for our journey to be over. See, Elouise never really took a bottle, so I was on constant feeding duty. Even when she started eating solids, she still nursed 5 times a day. I nursed in my car, walking through Target with her in a carrier, in a bathroom stall, out to dinner without my cover, and in a thousand places with my favorite cover. Sometimes it was a quick easy process, other times it was like running a marathon just to finish a feeding. So while I may not have had the same struggles as you, I understand that its not always just the most blissful and lovely thing. Finding our groove was thanks to a combination of using the right techniques and finding the right cover, because they are not all created equal. If you want a chance to win my favorite cover, head over to my Instagram!

Doing it all Over Again

I find myself wondering what this next time around will be like. Will it go as smoothly as it did this last time? Will we still have those same struggles in the beginning, even though now I know better? Well, there is unfortunately no way of predicting what it will be like, but I am thankful to now have even more resources and knowledge available to me for the second time around. I will utilize the lactation consultant offered in the hospital this time and will also use incredible resources like Lactation Link. Lactation Link is an amazing place to find support and information on your breastfeeding journey. Their Instagram page is almost like an online forum where founder Lindsey Shipley answers common questions and addresses myths about breastfeeding. I often went there during my time nursing Elouise to gain wisdom. She also offers three incredible breastfeeding e-courses, Breastfeeding Basics 101, Breastfeeding Basics 102, and Pumping & Storing Breastmilk. Im excited to share that is you order the bundle you can save $10 off when you use the code “liz” at checkout!

What are some of the best tips you received, or what do you know now that you wish someone would have told you, early on in your breastfeeding journey?

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